{"id":2097461,"date":"2023-11-13T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T19:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-gave-1-million-to-ai-startup-that-helped-blacklist-companies-spreading-disinformation\/"},"modified":"2023-11-13T14:48:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T19:48:54","slug":"u-s-government-gave-1-million-to-ai-startup-that-helped-blacklist-companies-spreading-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-gave-1-million-to-ai-startup-that-helped-blacklist-companies-spreading-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"US Govt. Grants $1M to AI Startup for Blacklisting &#8216;Disinformation&#8217; Companies."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-government-gave-1-million-to-ai-startup-that-helped-blacklist-companies-spreading-disinformation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2097461&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>The National Science Foundation&#8217;s \u200dEfforts to\u2063 Suppress Digital Speech<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The National \u2064Science Foundation\u2019s Directorate for Technology, \u2064Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) is working on a groundbreaking project\u200c to combat online misinformation and controversial speech. Through the Small Business Innovation \u2064Research (SBIR)\u2062 program, the Massachusetts-based company Automated Controversy Detection, Inc. (AuCoDe) has received significant funding to develop a \u200cControversy\u2063 Detection Signal for Finance. This project aims\u2064 to \u2063reduce the \u200cspread of misinformation and controversial content by targeting\u2064 online companies through financial means.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Funding \u2064and Project\u2062 Details<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>AuCoDe received over $940,000 in \u200dthe second phase of the \u200cSBIR\u200c program for their project, building upon the $225,000 they received\u2064 in the first phase.<\/li>\n<li>The \u200cproject focuses on automatically detecting controversy and disinformation, providing financial institutions with tools to mitigate risk exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Technological Innovations<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>AuCoDe has \u200bdeveloped\u2064 state-of-the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-gave-1-million-to-ai-startup-that-helped-blacklist-companies-spreading-disinformation\/\" title=\"US Govt. Grants M to AI Startup for Blacklisting 'Disinformation' Companies.\">-art machine learning algorithms<\/a> to identify opposing sentiment, misinformation, fairness and bias \u200cissues, and bot activity correlated\u2063 with disinformation campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>The company has created the &#8220;Squint&#8221; controversy detection dashboard and the \u200c&#8221;Squabble&#8221; controversy detection model.<\/li>\n<li>AuCoDe\u200c also \u2064offers\u2063 a Chrome \u200bextension called &#8220;DETOXIFY&#8221; that allows users\u200c to blacklist and blur topics from their social media \u200bfeeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Impact and Controversy<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>AuCoDe&#8217;s research aims to help the federal \u2064government combat disinformation and controversial speech through algorithmic curation.<\/li>\n<li>The\u200b company has published insights into alt-tech networks, such as \u2062Parler, highlighting the prevalence of misinformation\u200d and the potential\u2062 for disinformation campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>However, critics \u200bargue that AuCoDe&#8217;s focus on suppressing speech aligns with left-wing\u200b consensus and unfairly targets businesses that deviate from this \u200bideology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>[Read:[Read:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/19\/meet-the-shadowy-group-that-ran-the-federal-governments-censorship-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Meet The Shadowy Group That Ran The Federal Government\u2019s Censorship Scheme<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite receiving over $1\u200b million \u200cin taxpayer money, AuCoDe closed in May 2023, raising concerns about the use of\u200d government funds to suppress free \u200bspeech and undermine businesses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"> <\/p>\n<h2> What measures should be \u200bimplemented to \u2064ensure that the project upholds\u200c the principles of free expression \u200dand diversity of opinions while combating misinformation and controversial speech \u200conline<\/h2>\n<p><span>  That disseminate such content.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According\u200b to the \u200cNational\u200d Science Foundation (NSF), the proliferation \u2063of misinformation and \u2062controversial\u200d speech online has become \u200da significant concern in recent years. The ease \u2062of sharing information on the internet has allowed for the rapid spread \u200cof false or misleading narratives, posing a threat to public understanding \u200band democratic processes. To address this issue,\u200b the NSF&#8217;s Directorate for \u2062Technology, Innovation, \u200cand Partnerships\u2064 has \u200cteamed up with AuCoDe to develop a groundbreaking solution.<\/p>\n<p>The project, \u200dknown as the Controversy Detection Signal for Finance, aims\u200d to tackle the problem\u200c at its roots by targeting online companies that play a significant role in the dissemination of misinformation and controversial content. By developing\u2062 state-of-the-art technology capable of detecting and\u200c flagging such \u200ccontent, \u2063AuCoDe hopes to provide online platforms\u2064 with the means to prevent the spread of \u200cfalse information and polarizing narratives.<\/p>\n<p>The Small Business \u2062Innovation Research\u200b program, administered by the NSF, has provided \u200bsubstantial funding to support AuCoDe&#8217;s efforts. This \u2062vote of confidence in AuCoDe&#8217;s\u2062 expertise and innovation underscores the urgency \u200dof addressing the issue of digital speech suppression and \u200cthe NSF&#8217;s\u200c commitment to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chronic-absenteeism-skyrockets-in-minnesota-public-schools\/\" title=\"Minnesota public schools experience a significant increase in chronic absenteeism.\">finding effective solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d Controversy Detection Signal for Finance project leverages machine learning and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-not-over-yet-kari-lake-files-74-page-lawsuit-against-katie-hobbs-election-officials\/\" title=\"Kari Lake sues Katie Hobbs and officials in 74-page lawsuit.\">natural language processing techniques<\/a> to analyze online content for indicators of misinformation and \u2064controversy. By training the technology to recognize patterns and \u200blinguistic cues associated with problematic content, AuCoDe aims to provide online platforms\u2063 with a powerful tool \u2062to identify and limit the dissemination of false or polarizing information.<\/p>\n<p>While the project&#8217;s initial focus is on the finance sector, its long-term goal is to expand to other industries \u200dand domains, fostering\u2063 a comprehensive \u200dapproach \u200dto combatting \u200bmisinformation and controversial speech online. \u200bBy targeting online \u200ccompanies rather than \u2062individual users, \u2063the project\u2063 aims to have a significant impact on the dissemination of problematic content. By addressing the root of the problem, the \u200bproject seeks to minimize the negative effects \u2062of misinformation and \u2062divisive \u2064speech, allowing for more informed and constructive online discussions.<\/p>\n<p>However, it is important to note that the project&#8217;s success \u200drelies on striking a delicate balance. The fight against misinformation and controversial speech must \u2064not impede on individuals&#8217; rights to free expression and access to information. Stricter regulations and content moderation may inadvertently limit legitimate discussions and \u200bstifle dissenting voices. It is crucial \u200dthat any measures implemented under this project uphold the principles of transparency, \u200cfairness, and \u2062respect for the\u2062 diversity of opinions.<\/p>\n<p>The National Science Foundation&#8217;s collaborative effort with AuCoDe represents a significant step towards addressing the pressing issue\u2064 of online misinformation and controversial \u2062speech. By developing \u200ccutting-edge technology\u200b and providing funding for innovative projects like the\u200d Controversy Detection Signal for Finance, the NSF is proactively working to safeguard public understanding and democratic processes. Through a comprehensive\u200b approach\u200d that balances\u2062 the need to combat problematic content with\u200b the principles of free expression, this project \u200bhas the potential to reshape the digital landscape for the better.<\/p>\n<p>As the project progresses\u200c and its impact becomes clearer, it will be crucial for\u2062 policymakers, academics, \u2064and the broader public\u200b to engage in a meaningful dialogue about the ethical and societal implications of content moderation and digital speech suppression. By \u200cfostering a robust discourse, \u2062society can collectively shape the direction of\u2062 these efforts, ensuring a fair and inclusive online \u200denvironment. Only through \u200dcollective responsibility and informed decision-making can we effectively combat misinformation while preserving the values that underpin democratic \u2064societies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Science Foundation&#8217;s TIP is aiding tech developers in creating AI programs that curb online speech by cutting off ad revenue and financial system access. Massachusetts-based Automated Controversy Detection, Inc. is involved in the SBIR program&#8217;s second phase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1185,"featured_media":2097462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2097461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2097461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2097462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2097461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2097461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2097461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}